Buddhist philosophy - Early development

Rabindranath Tagore lived up to his name. Rabi means the Sun and like the Sun's rays the myriad-minded "Great Sentinel" - as Mahatma Gandhi called him - never failed to dazzle with his creative genius, enlightening us with his sagacious insight.

Tagore's songs, poems, plays, short stories, novels, essays, letters, and paintings take us through his personal reflection of reality, which soon become our own because they touch the core of our heart, bonding us with nature. His writings are a heartfelt appeal for universal peace, love and harmony.

(See also: Rabindranath Tagore , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Rabindranath Tagore: Creative Philosophy Inspired by the Sun - about Rabindranath Tagore  

Hinduism Lexicon on A

From aadheenam to axis.

Read more here: » Hinduism: Hinduism Lexicon on A

The Thai Buddhist Calendar

With important days for ceremonies and rituals, including: Visakha Puja, Magha Puja, Asalha Puja, Khao Phansa, Ok Phansa, Tod Kratin

Read more here: » Buddhism: Thai Buddhist Calendar

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba is probably known as much for the miracles he performed in the process of alleviating human suffering as for his eclectic philosophy. However, that does not take away from the fact that he epitomised a great mission - of human brotherhood and religious harmony.

Baba interpreted the religious credo in a rational and existentialist manner. God, he insisted, bore no religious identity, for He could not be fettered by any institution. To him, the spirit of a religion meant more than its identity. And Baba lived by what he propounded.

(See also: Sri Shirdi Sai Baba , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Sri Shirdi Sai Baba: Baba's Healing Touch Transcended Religion  

Meaning of Dreams in Islam

Few Western dream researchers have any familiarity with the rich dream traditions of Islam. The Muslim faith first emerged in seventh century B.C.E. Arabia as a profound revisioning of early Jewish and Christian beliefs and practices. One theme the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) drew from the scriptures of those two religions was a reverence for dreaming. In the Quran, as in the Jewish Torah and the Christian New Testament, dreams serve as a vital medium by which God communicates with humans. Dreams offer divine guidance and comfort, warn people of impending danger, and offer prophetic glimpses of the future. Although the three religions drastically differ on many other topics, they find substantial agreement on this particular point: dreaming is a valuable source of wisdom, understanding, and inspiration. Indeed, as I will propose in this brief essay, Islam has historically shown greater interest in dreams than either of the other two traditions, and has done more to weave dreaming into the daily lives of its members. From the first revelatory visions of Muhammed to the myriad dream practices of present-day Muslims, Islam has developed and sustained a complex, multifaceted tradition of active engagement with the dreaming imagination.

Read more here: » Meaning of Dreams in Islam: Reflections on the Dream Traditions of Islam

A Different View Of Islam & Sufism

For Anne-Marie Schimmel, Islam was a lifelong passion, as deep as her own roots in the Lutheran faith. Church rituals were as dear to her as bowing in prayer at Sufi shrines.

Sitting in Bonn she dreamed of Bijapur and Bidar, talked of her friend Allan Fakir in Sindh and brooded over the problem of selecting a site for her burial in Sindh. This gentle woman, renowned scholar of Sufism, passed away in Germany recently. As gently as she had lived.

Read more here: » Islam Sufism: A Different View Of Islam Sufism

Emerson, Plato, Pythagoras had perfect belief in the doctrine of reincarnation. The doctrine of reincarnation is the foundation of Hinduism and Buddhism. The ancient Egyptians believed it. The Greek philosophers made it the corner-stone of their philosophy.
Man clings to this earthly life. This clinging to life proves that there is past experience and existence. This proves also that there is a future life. Man likes this life immensely and strongly yearns for a future life also.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Reincarnation: Doctrine Of Reincarnation

Christian Definition of True Reality

How does one define reality from the perspective of faith? St Anselm defines theology as "faith seeking understanding".

St Augustine, citing Plato, argued for the necessity of eternal, universal spiritual principles and laws on which our contingent and temporal realm of existence is based. For Augustine, God is the author and overseer of these principles and laws.

Making this Platonic distinction between the spiritual and material, early mediaeval Christianity came to value the spiritual realm of life far more than the material. The attendant dualistic anthropology led to an overvaluation of the development of the soul, in comparison to the body.

Read more here: » Christian Faith: Christian Definition of True Reality

Buddhism: Basic Buddhist Dictionary

A basic dictionary of Buddhism terms. Please note that all words in grey like " Buddhism " are links to an archive with related articles.

Buddhism - Buddhist Festivals: Dharma Day

Dharma day marks the beginning of the Buddha's teaching. The word Dharma can be translated as truth and is the term used for the path to enlightenment, or the Buddhist teaching.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Buddhist Festivals - Dharma Day

Buddhism in the modern world

An overview of Buddhism in Modern Asia and Buddhism in West.

Read more here: » Modern Buddhism: Buddhism in the modern world

I was under the false impression for years that philosophers were old men who sat around in draped sheets talking about issues that had nothing to do with everyday life. Even though I had read many books on philosophy and had taught philosophy for years on the college level, I still had a false notion about being a philosopher and doing philosophy.

What is the good life? How should we live? What does it mean to be human? What is happiness? When is work good? Why am I here?

Good philosophy is wisdom applied to everyday life.

Read more here: » Philosophy: Applying Wisdom Through The Ages To Everyday Life

Dharma: Path of Powerful Dharma Beings

One takes refuge in the Buddha's path because it allows the freedom to modulate it to one's self-awareness, provided one takes responsibility of one's own suffering. Buddhism's view of dependent origination and the inherent emptiness of all phenomena is a profound and radical one.

It dispenses with the existence of a Creator God or a Superior Being. The view is taught not as an article of faith or an exclusive revelation to a messiah or prophet, but is one that can be ascer-tained by study, debate, and direct experience.

Read more here: » Dharma: Path of Powerful Dharma Beings

Christian Meditation: Trinity Divine and the Holy Streams 

"You have learnt that the laws of the Son of Man are seven. Now you shall know of the mystery of the three Holy Streams and the ancient way to traverse them; so shall you bathe in the light of heaven and at last behold the revelation of the mystery of mysteries: the law of God, which is One."

---The Teachings of The Elect from The Essene Gospel of Peace

This quote from one of JesusÕ little-known teachings provides not only a metaphor but also a much deeper insight as how to approach meditation.

Read more here: » Christian Meditation: Trinity Divine and the Holy Streams Trinity Divine and the Holy Streams

The Hymns of Dirghatamas in the Rig Veda

Some scholars have claimed that the Babylonians invented the zodiac of 360 degrees around 700 BCE, perhaps even earlier. Many claim that India received the knowledge of the zodiac from Babylonia or even later from Greece. However, as old as the Rig Veda, the oldest Vedic text, there are clear references to a chakra or wheel of 360 spokes placed in the sky. The number 360 and its related numbers like 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 108, 432 and 720 occur commonly in Vedic symbolism. It is in the hymns of the great Rishi Dirghatamas (RV I.140 - 164) that we have the clearest such references.

Read more here: » Vedic Origins of the Zodiac: The Hymns of Dirghatamas in the Rig Veda

History of Buddhism

The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.

Read more here: » Buddhism: History of Buddhism

The New Age movement is hardly novel! Its philosophy is rooted in ancient traditions, often based on mystical experiences, each within a different context.

Part II of II, written by Michael Rogge

Read more here: » The roots of the New Age Movement Ð Part II

Buddha: What is a Buddha?

Buddha is a word in the ancient Indian languages Pali and Sanskrit which means "one who has become awake". It is derived from the verbal root "Ãbudh", meaning "to awaken or be enlightened."

Read more here: » Buddha: What is a Buddha?

Perfection of Wisdom (prajnaparamita): In Mahayana Buddhism, an early collection of writings beginning about 100 BCE which focuses on the importance of wisdom among the ten ideal perfections (paramitas); emphasizing the notion of emptiness (sunyata), the most famous of these works are the Diamond Cutter Sutra (vajracchedika-prajnaparaita) and the Heart Sutra (prajnaparamita-hydaya).

 (See also: Perfection of Wisdom , Eastern Philosophy, Body Mind and Soul)

Ananda: Name of one of Buddha's disciples, joining early during Buddha's second year of teaching; he was one of Buddha's favored disciples, if not his most favored; his name means "joy." He was trusted to teach the doctrines, and to begin sermons. It was Ananda who got women admitted into the Buddhist order.

 (See also: Ananda , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

shad darshana: (Sanskrit) "Six views or insights; six philosophies."

Among the hundreds of Hindu darshanas known through history are six classical philosophical systems: Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta.

Each was tersely formulated in sutra form by its "founder," and elaborated in extensive commentaries by other writers. They are understood as varied attempts at describing Truth and the path to it. Elements of each form part of the Hindu fabric today.

-       Nyaya: "System, rule; logic." A system of logical realism, founded sometime around 300 bce by Gautama, known for its systems of logic and epistemology and concerned with the means of acquiring right knowledge. Its tools of enquiry and rules for argumentation were adopted by all schools of Hinduism.

-       Vaisheshika: "Distinctionism." From "vishesha," differences. Philosophy founded by Kanada (ca 300 bce) teaching that liberation is to be attained through understanding the nature of existence, which is classified in nine basic realities (dravyas): earth, water, light, air, ether, time, space, soul and mind. Nyaya and Vaisheshika are viewed as a complementary pair, with Nyaya emphasizing logic, and Vaisheshika analyzing the nature of the world.

-       Sankhya: "Enumeration, reckoning." A philosophy founded by the sage Kapila (ca 500 bce), author of the Sankhya Sutras. Sankhya is primarily concerned with "categories of existence," tattvas, which it understands as 25 in number. The first two are the unmanifest purusha and the manifest primal nature, prakriti - the male-female polarity, viewed as the foundation of all existence. Prakriti, out of which all things evolve, is the unity of the three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas. Sankhya and Yoga are considered an inseparable pair whose principles permeate all of Hinduism.

-       See: prakriti, purusha.

-       Yoga: "Yoking; joining." Ancient tradition of philosophy and practice codified by Patanjali (ca 200 bce) in the Yoga Sutras. It is also known as raja yoga, "king of yogas," or ashtanga yoga, "eight-limbed yoga." Its object is to achieve, at will, the cessation of all fluctuations of consciousness, and the attainment of Self Realization. Yoga is wholly dedicated to putting the high philosophy of Hinduism into practice, to achieve personal transformation through transcendental experience, samadhi.

-       See: yoga.

-       Mimamsa: "Inquiry" (or Purva, "early," Mimamsa). Founded by Jaimini (ca 200 bce), author of the Mimamsa Sutras, who taught the correct performance of Vedic rites as the means to salvation.

-       Vedanta (or Uttara "later" Mimamsa): "End (or culmination) of the Vedas." For Vedanta, the main basis is the Upanishads and Aranyakas (the "end," anta, of the Vedas), rather than the hymns and ritual portions of the Vedas. The teaching of Vedanta is that there is one Absolute Reality, Brahman. Man is one with Brahman, and the object of life is to realize that truth through right knowledge, intuition and personal experience. The Vedanta Sutras (or Brahma Sutras) were composed by Rishi Badarayana (ca 400 bce).

See: Brahma Sutra, padartha, tattva, Vedanta, yoga.

(See also: Shad darshana , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)